ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – No. 12 men's volleyball cruised a 25-22, 25-23, 25-22 non-conference home victory over George Mason on Saturday evening. Sophomore Jay Petty (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) led Lewis with 16 kills and a .481 hitting percentage.
“Jay was clutch tonight,” head coach Dan Friend said. “He had some kills at opportune times and helped put the match away.”
In the opening set it was sophomore Ian Karbiener (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) coming up big. He had six kills on seven swings with no errors. He would finish with 13 kills and six digs for the match.
The second set featured 14 ties and three lead changes. George Mason appeared to be on their way to knotting the match one when they led 21-18. A Karbiener kill made it 21-19. Senior Casey Bennett (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union/Long Beach City College) was subbed into serve and Lewis followed with two points. First it was a solo block by freshman BJ Boldog (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and then junior Matt Gallik (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) tied it with a kill. The teams traded points until a Petty kill made it 23-22 in favor of Lewis. Petty had another kill on the first and only set point Lewis would need.
The longest scoring run in the third set was three by Lewis, making the score 9-8 and forcing the Patriots to ask for time. It was tied at 19 when Lewis finished the match on a 6-3 effort. Karbiener had a kill on match point.
Gallik finished with eight kills on 12 attempts with no errors. Boldog had 43 assists and five blocks (one solo).
“We did a nice job from the service line after we missed a few in the first set,” Friend said. “It enabled us to put pressure on them and be in position to score.”
George Mason falls to 12-6. Lewis improves to 15-6. The Flyers return to conference play on Tuesday with a home match against Loyola. First serve is 7 p.m.
Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.
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